In Israel, the fur is flying - over fur. International animal rights
activists are campaigning to make Israel the first country in the world to ban
the sale of fur. But the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community sees the measure as an
affront to its religious identity.

A rancorous debate is rising in Israel, not over the building of Jewish
settlements or the on-again, off-again peace process.

The fur is flying — over fur.

International animal-rights activists are campaigning for Israel to become
the first country in the world to ban the sale of fur.

A bill to make Israel fur-free is being debated in the Knesset, pitting
animal-rights campaigners against the lobbyists for the global fur industry and
the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, which says the fur ban is an affront to its
religious identity.

Joshua Rotbart, legal adviser for the Israeli animal-rights group Let the
Animals Live, says Israel is well positioned to pave the way in banning fur. He
says for one thing, the Israeli market isn't all that big. He says Israelis
spend no more than $1.5 million a year on fur, unlike other countries that spend
billions.